HIGH IMPACT – 1965 Dodge Coronet

If this machine doesn’t stop you dead in your tracks, you just aren’t a car guy. From front to back, Adrian Blaskovic’s bad ass 1965 Dodge Coronet is all business. It only took Adrian a matter of minutes to dump his own VH Charger project of 14 years, to buy this rig after seeing it face to face. “I mean seriously, look at it. It is the most savage thing I have seen. I just had to have it” said Adrian.

Being a Mopar man for as long as he can remember, the Coronet was everything he had dreamed of. “This car is just unique. People are forever asking me what it is. Everybody knows what a Charger, a Cuda and a Challenger are but this has even the most clued up car guy scratching their heads. I don’t mind showing them around the car either. You have to share your passion.”

For starters; the body on the car is top notch, no doubt about it. The thing is an animal. The pumped rear guards barely cover those massive 15×14-inch American Torq Thrust hoops on 29×15.5 Hoosier rubber. Miniature 15×6’s with matching treads sit up front.

The retro red and silver stripe and decal package pops hard against the jet black paint scheme with that huge, Super Stock scoop screaming for attention – pretty much louder than anything else on the car bar the unmistakable Hemi exhaust note. Adrian wanted the car to look even more aggressive (if that was even possible) so added the A990-spec single headlight, grille package.

“I reckon the car looks a lot tougher with twin lights rather than the four. It widens the front of the car nicely, and the extra bit of chrome doesn’t go astray either” In contrast, the bumpers were stripped of their bright stuff and painted in the same black as the body.

Interestingly enough, the A990 was a package that came with these cars back in the day that was solely focused on performance. “The A990 offered a bundle of deleted stuff from the factory to keep weight down – the rear seat was removed, bucket seats in the front fitted, thinner window glass and even thinner gauge front guards were also part of the drag racing inspired race programme. Combined with the Hemi motor, this was THE car to get back in the day” Adrian explained.

It would almost be sacrilege now if I didn’t tell you about that Hemi under the bonnet -well, for starters it pumps out a genuine, dyno-proven 774hp and 628ft-lb thanks to its Ray Barton built 471 cubic inches.

Pumped full of forged internals and with a big lift Bullet solid cam, the base of the motor is well and truly sorted. Up top is a Barton high-rise manifold with a 1050cfm Avanti carb strapped to it. Either side of that sweet looking air cleaner, are even sweeter looking Ray Barton rocker covers on those Stage V aluminium heads. Hooker headers and a twin 3-inch system make sure the spent 98-pump gases are sent packing into the atmosphere. The exit point for the exhaust is just before the wheels and the sound from the Hemi – earth shaking!

Matching the big motor is another Mopar winner – a 727 Torqueflite box with a reverse patterned, fully manualised valve body and a 4,000rpm converter. DTS in the States were responsible for making sure all those ponies reach the tarmac, so they prepared an 8 ¾-inch Dodge diff that has been narrowed and slotted in between relocated leaf springs and a set of Caltracs. Heavy-duty front torsion bars were added to the pointy end, and thankfully, the factory drums got the heave-ho for ventilated Aerospace discs all round.

You can’t help but be impressed when you crack the door open. You are greeted by a balance of competition options and modern race parts. The factory A990 bucket seats have remained, with the space at the back filled up by a multi-point roll cage.

It would be a disservice to not mention that trick aluminium dash chock full of Autometer instruments and the matching inserts on the doors tie in nicely, while a Hurt shifter holds pride of place on the ali trans-tunnel. Black vinyl, cloth and carpet add some refinement to the ’60 styled cabin.

For Adrian, it doesn’t get much better than hopping inside, firing up the Hemi and taking his young bloke Dylan for a drive. “He loves the car as much as I do. Whenever there is a chance to take the car out for a run, he is right there in the front seat with me. It is times like those that make me realise that cars really do give you moments to remember. I will be cherishing mine.”